Deadly Ever After (Hardy Brothers Security Book 6)

by Hart, Lily Harper

  “Mr. Hardy?”

  Mandy couldn’t hear James’ end of the conversation, but she was mildly excited to hear Judge MacIntosh’s.

  “Yes, it’s good to talk to you, too,” the judge said. “I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better … no, she hasn’t been obsessing … no, she’s not asking me to find out how you are.”

  Mandy was getting impatient.

  “The reason I’m calling is … well … I don’t suppose you can tell me where you’re going on your honeymoon, can you?” Judge MacIntosh’s face was flushed. “I understand that. Yes. Yes. No. I don’t think she’s losing her mind. Well … I don’t think she’s being unreasonable.”

  The judge was silent for a few moments, listening. When he spoke again, Mandy didn’t like his tone. “No, I agree.” He handed the phone back to her. “He wants to talk to you.”

  Mandy scowled. “How mad did he sound?”

  MacIntosh couldn’t hide his smirk. “I think you’ll be okay.”

  Mandy sighed, holding the phone back up to her ear. “What?”

  “Well, that was a new low,” James said.

  “You can’t say no to a judge,” Mandy said. “You have to tell him the truth.”

  “Only if you’re under oath,” James said. “And I’m not.”

  “Why won’t you just tell me?”

  “Because then it wouldn’t be a surprise,” James said. “Shouldn’t you be working?”

  “I am working.”

  “It doesn’t sound like it.”

  “I … I hate you.”

  “I love you, too,” James said, disconnecting.

  “WHY is it that the day always seems to be longer when you’ve had a long weekend?” Mandy complained. She and Heidi were making their way through the main-floor lobby and toward the front door of the courthouse building.

  “I would think being back to work would be a relief,” Heidi said, sending a flirty wink in the direction of a local defense lawyer as they passed. “It’s not like you were having sexy time with James. He was shot.”

  Mandy’s face colored. “It’s not a serious injury.”

  Heidi barked out a laugh. “You had sex with a guy who had just been shot?”

  Heidi’s voice carried under the best of circumstances – which these were not. Mandy scowled. “Maybe you should speak up, I’m not sure that the guy shining shoes over there in the corner heard you.”

  Heidi looked apologetic. “Sorry.”

  Mandy tried to ignore the curious stares of the two men standing by the glass-vestibule doors. She had no doubt they’d heard Heidi’s exclamation. Her reputation was bound to take a hit now.

  Once they were on the front steps of the courthouse, Mandy turned on Heidi. “I will never get over that,” she hissed. “People heard you.”

  “I’m sorry,” Heidi said, rummaging through her purse.

  “That doesn’t make it better.”

  “I said I was sorry,” Heidi said, her voice whiny. “What more do you want? Oh, crap.”

  Mandy watched as a tube of Heidi’s lipstick tipped over the edge of her purse and landed on the pavement. The look of chagrin on Heidi’s face made Mandy feel guilty, so she bent over to pick up the lipstick. At the same moment she did, the potted plant on the wall above her head exploded, sending pottery shards in a million different directions.

  “What the … ?”

  “Get down!”

  Mandy had no idea who was yelling, but instinct took over. She grabbed Heidi’s arm and yanked her down on the ground next to her, taking cover behind the brick wall that surrounded the first-floor walkway.

  “What’s going on?” Heidi’s eyes were brimming with fear – and tears.

  “I don’t know,” Mandy gasped. “I think I was just shot at.”

  JAMES couldn’t control his racing heartbeat as he jumped from his Explorer and ran up the steps to the courthouse. He’d parked illegally, leaving his vehicle in a loading zone. He didn’t care if they ticketed him. He had to see Mandy – and he had to see her now.

  He scanned the lobby when he stepped inside, his gaze immediately landing on a group of people milling about near the elevators. James strode toward them purposely, the assembled masses parting when they saw the look on his face.

  Mandy was in the center, sitting in a chair and rubbing Heidi’s back as the court stenographer breathed in and out of a brown paper bag. Mandy saw James seconds after he caught sight of her. She jumped out of the chair and launched herself at him. James caught her in mid-air, pulling her tight against his chest.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know,” Mandy said. “It all happened so fast.”

  “Someone was shooting from the roof of the building across the street.”

  James turned, recognizing the security guard who was speaking immediately. “Clint.”

  “Mr. Hardy.”

  James kept Mandy pressed to him. “Were there any witnesses?”

  Clint shrugged. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask the police.”

  James nodded. He’d figured as much. He pushed Mandy’s haphazard hair away from her face. “How close were you?”

  “I … not that close.”

  She was lying. James knew it. “How close were you?”

  Mandy was silent, unsure.

  “Mandy?”

  “If she hadn’t bent down to pick up Heidi’s lipstick, she would have been shot in the head,” Clint supplied.

  James’ heart rolled painfully as Mandy shot Clint a dark look.

  “God,” he breathed, pulling Mandy so close she was having trouble breathing. “I can’t … I just … dammit!”

  “She’s not having the best luck,” Clint agreed.

  Judge MacIntosh appeared at James’ side. “How are they?”

  “Lucky,” James said, his tone grim.

  “I’m okay,” Mandy protested. “Heidi is still hyperventilating.”

  “You’re not okay,” James argued. “Someone tried to kill you.”

  “Someone tried to kill us,” Mandy corrected.

  James stilled. He’d already figured that out himself. “I know.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “I don’t suppose putting you in a metal bubble is an option, is it?”

  Mandy shook her head. “Be serious.”

  He didn’t tell her that he was being serious. He glanced at MacIntosh. “What do you think?”

  “I think one of you has an enemy,” he said.

  “It’s got to be me,” James said. “I was the one targeted first. When that didn’t work, they went after her.”

  “Any ideas?” MacIntosh asked.

  “I don’t have a clue,” James said. “I just … .” He glanced down at Mandy’s concerned face, reaching up to smooth the worry lines between her eyebrows. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “Well, I’ve already suggested that two instances of snipers on the roof in the downtown area might suggest regular patrols up there for the foreseeable future,” MacIntosh said. “The sheriff’s department agreed. This is going to hit the media big time.”

  James groaned. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Your shooting was bad enough,” MacIntosh said. “Someone shooting at court employees is an entirely different level of concern.”

  “Once they tie the two of us together … .” James brushed his lips against Mandy’s temple and pulled her in tight again. “Crap.”

  “What are you going to do?” MacIntosh asked.

  “I have no idea,” James said. “I need to think.”

  “Just … keep me updated,” the judge said. “I’ll go along with anything you want. Just keep me informed.”

  “You got it.”

  Eight

  James pushed Mandy into the apartment ahead of him, not surprised in the least to find the room bustling with activity.

  “Are you okay?” Ally moved away from her other two brothers and threw her arms around Mandy’s neck. “I was so worri
ed.”

  “I’m fine,” Mandy said, disengaging stiffly from Ally. “I wasn’t hit.”

  “Only because you bent over at the exact moment someone pulled the trigger,” James said, dropping his keys on the counter and striding over to the refrigerator to grab a beer.

  Ally’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” James said, gulping from the bottle in his hand and then wiping his mouth. “She’s only here because Heidi dropped a tube of lipstick.”

  Mandy pursed her lips together, uncertain. “James … .”

  James ignored her and turned to Grady. “Do we have anything?”

  “All we know is what we’ve been able to ascertain from your shooting,” Grady said. “Ballistics point to a military-grade sniper rifle. We’re still trying to peg an exact model down.”

  James nodded, his mind busy. “Whoever it was, they had to have an escape route planned in advance. There were tons of people at that rally, and yet no one saw him. The same with today.”

  “There were less people around today, though,” Finn said. “It wasn’t as hard for him to get away.”

  “We don’t even know what building he was shooting from yet,” James said. “We’re going to have to play nice with the sheriff’s department. They’re the ones leading the investigation.”

  “I’ll handle that,” Grady said. “It’s not like they like us – especially since the sheriff is likely to lose his position thanks to us.”

  James downed the rest of his beer and reached inside the refrigerator to snag another. Grady raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t call him on it. James popped the top off and downed half of it before speaking again. “She should be dead.”

  “So should you,” Finn said. “If you hadn’t noticed the guy on the roof at just that moment, he would have gotten you, too.”

  “Someone tried to shoot her in the head,” James said, his voice cracking. “A tube of lipstick saved her life.”

  “You can’t look at it like that,” Grady said, keeping his voice low as he glanced over James’ shoulder. Mandy’s face was grim and drawn, and she was making an effort to act like she was listening to whatever Ally was saying, but Grady could tell she was shaken. “She’s safe. She’s here.”

  “She shouldn’t be,” James said. “She … .”

  “You have got to get a grip on yourself,” Grady said. “You need to take care of her now.”

  “Oh, she’s fine,” James said. “She wasn’t even going to tell me how close the bullet was to hitting her.”

  “That’s because she didn’t want to worry you,” Finn said. “Just like you don’t want her to worry.”

  “I … I can’t deal with this.”

  “You’re going to have to deal with this,” Grady said. “You’re getting married. You’re getting married soon. That woman is going to be your wife.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” James grumbled.

  “That woman is barely hanging on by a thread right now,” Grady said. “Is that something new?”

  “What?” James glanced at Mandy, finally focusing on her. Her hands were clasped together on her lap, her shoulders rigid. “She seemed fine at the courthouse.”

  “Maybe you acting like a madman made her rethink things,” Finn suggested.

  “Or, maybe she was putting on an act in front of her co-workers,” Grady added. “The judge was there. Heidi was there. She wouldn’t want to worry them.”

  James sighed, rubbing his forehead. He downed the rest of his beer and made his way across the room.

  “Are you okay?” Ally asked.

  James ignored her, slipping his arms under Mandy’s hunched frame and lifting her up. The feeling of the trembles wracking her body made his heart flop. He sat back down in the chair, this time settling her on his lap, and he buried his face in her neck. “I’m sorry.”

  “What are you sorry for?” Ally asked.

  “Ally,” James growled. “Go and spend some time with Finn and Grady.”

  “I’m here to see Mandy.”

  “You can see her in a few minutes,” James snapped. “Give me some time with her.”

  “Don’t you take that tone with me,” Ally warned.

  “Don’t make me take that tone with you,” James said. “Just … give us a few minutes.”

  Ally scowled, but got to her feet. “You’re a real douche sometimes.”

  Once she was gone, James turned Mandy so she was facing him. She hadn’t said a word to him since they left the courthouse. “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry about.”

  “I do,” James said. “I didn’t realize that you were so worked up. I thought … you were putting on an act at the courthouse, and I should have seen that. The last thing I should have been doing was yelling at you.”

  “You didn’t yell.”

  “I wanted to yell,” James said.

  “I know.”

  “And that’s why I’m apologizing,” James said. “You have no idea how scared I was when I got the call.”

  “I have some idea.”

  “Fine, you have an idea,” James conceded. “I can’t lose you, baby. The idea of it just … it kills me.”

  “I’m here.”

  “I’m buying Heidi an entire box of lipstick,” James said, kissing Mandy’s cheek. “A whole box of it, I swear.”

  JAKE and Sophie arrived thirty minutes later, Sophie’s arms laden with takeout bags. Ally rushed to Jake, whispering something in his ear as she buried her face in his chest. Grady took the bags from Sophie and then gave her a small hug.

  “What was that for?” Her eyes were serious.

  “Because I don’t think I hug you enough,” Grady said.

  “You hug me all the time.”

  “It doesn’t feel like enough after today,” Grady said.

  Sophie glanced over at Mandy and James, the duo still cuddling in the chair. “How are they?”

  “Better than they were.”

  The door opened again so Emma could enter. “I just heard,” she said. “Is everyone okay?”

  Finn rounded the table and engulfed her in his arms. “Everyone is fine.”

  “Everyone doesn’t seem fine,” Emma said, pulling away so she could scan Finn’s face. “Everyone seems a little scattered.”

  “I think everyone is just taking stock,” Grady said. “Mandy was saved by a tube of lipstick today.”

  Jake rubbed Ally’s back thoughtfully. “Does anyone else think that this whole situation is a little too … pointed?”

  “What do you mean?” James asked, not moving from the chair.

  “It’s like a military op,” Jake said. “You were the first target. When that failed, instead of trying to get you again, someone moved on to the next best thing. The goal seems to be hurting you.”

  James massaged Mandy’s neck thoughtfully. “Yeah, I figured that out myself.”

  “It’s got to be someone you know,” Jake said. “It’s got to be someone with a grudge against you.”

  “Maybe it’s someone from Sheryl’s family,” Mandy suggested. “Maybe they’re mad that I killed her.”

  “Then why go after James first?” Jake asked. “And, while I’m not familiar with your stepmother, I have trouble believing her family has the military training an assault like this entailed.”

  Mandy furrowed her brow. “What?”

  James rubbed Mandy’s thigh. “We all agree that the figure we saw on the roof looked like he had military training.”

  “You didn’t tell me that!”

  “We wanted to see if Maverick could clean up the video more first,” James said. “Has anyone heard from him?”

  “He’s running it through some new filter that reads the dirty edge, or something like that,” Finn said. “I can’t remember exactly what he said. He said it could take days.”

  “It’s been days.”

  “I’ll call him,” Grady said.

  “Why didn’t you tell me t
his?” Mandy’s tone was accusatory.

  “I didn’t want to worry you,” James said, not bothering to think of a lie. “You were already freaked.”

  “That’s not the point.”

  James sighed, shifting out from beneath his fiancée and leaving her on the chair as he headed toward the table to poke through Sophie’s dinner offerings. “Can we talk about this later?”

  “No.”

  “Sophie brought chili fries.”

  Mandy faltered. She loved chili fries. James raised an eyebrow as he held up the container. “You can still yell at me later. These chili fries will only be good for so long.”

  Mandy rolled her eyes, but she got up from the chair and snagged the box from him. “This isn’t over.”

  “Oh, trust me, I know.”

  THREE HOURS later, it was just the two of them, and James was ready for the verbal assault.

  “You have to stop doing this!”

  “Trying to protect you? That’s not likely.” He was sitting at the dining room table picking through the leftovers.

  “We’re getting married,” Mandy pointed out.

  “Huh,” James said, popping a beet from one of the Greek salads into his mouth. “I had no idea.”

  “Do you think that’s funny?”

  “No.”

  “Why are you just sitting there?”

  “Because I’m not sure what else to do,” James said. “I figure, if I let you yell long enough, you’ll forgive me or lose your voice. I’m waiting for one or the other.”

  “Well, you’re going to be waiting a long time,” Mandy huffed, her hands on hips.

  “Do you want me to heat up some fries for you?”

  Mandy shook her head. “I’m full. You can’t distract me with food.”

  “Can I distract you with sex?” James looked hopeful.

  “No.”

  “Well, I had to try.” James stood, taking a step toward her. “I know you’re mad. If I was in your position, I’d be totally pissed. In fact, I was in your position earlier today when you were trying to decide if you were going to lie to me about how close the bullet was to you.”

  Mandy frowned. “It’s not the same thing.”

  “It’s not?”

  “I wasn’t trying to lie to you,” Mandy said. “I was trying to protect you.”